Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Fat Fairies
A friend of mine has been ice-skating for a few months, and yesterday was taking part in a low-key display for friends and family of the new skatees.
As it happens, the skating rink is near where I work, and her slot was 6:20pm, so it was quite easy to pop in on the way home.
I'd not been to that skating rink before. In fact, it's years since I'd been to any rink. So I parked up, wandered in, asked if I could watch, and got pointed through to where the rink was.
I stood in a corner, near the door, surveying the scene. On the ice was my friend (mid 20s), and an older woman... and dozens of little kids (aged 5-11 I'd imagine)
This wasn't so bad, but my friend was the second person on. She did her display, then scuttled off to talk to some people she knew there. That left me, looking a little out of place, watching lots of little kids do rather odd displays. And the longer I stood there, the more suspicious I looked. I mean, a grown man (too young to be a parent, too old to be skating) watching lots of kids who are wearing tutus and other such dresses.
The parents clearly thought I was some dodgy geezer, I could tell from the looks. Especially as I kept laughing... purely because for American health-and-safety reasons, all these girls were wearing enormously think leg warmers. I assume in case they fall over. As a result, they all had really fat legs underneath these little skirt things.
So I'm watching young girls, laughing to myself, completely on my own.
I did the wise thing. I left.
This is what they all reminded me of........................
As it happens, the skating rink is near where I work, and her slot was 6:20pm, so it was quite easy to pop in on the way home.
I'd not been to that skating rink before. In fact, it's years since I'd been to any rink. So I parked up, wandered in, asked if I could watch, and got pointed through to where the rink was.
I stood in a corner, near the door, surveying the scene. On the ice was my friend (mid 20s), and an older woman... and dozens of little kids (aged 5-11 I'd imagine)
This wasn't so bad, but my friend was the second person on. She did her display, then scuttled off to talk to some people she knew there. That left me, looking a little out of place, watching lots of little kids do rather odd displays. And the longer I stood there, the more suspicious I looked. I mean, a grown man (too young to be a parent, too old to be skating) watching lots of kids who are wearing tutus and other such dresses.
The parents clearly thought I was some dodgy geezer, I could tell from the looks. Especially as I kept laughing... purely because for American health-and-safety reasons, all these girls were wearing enormously think leg warmers. I assume in case they fall over. As a result, they all had really fat legs underneath these little skirt things.
So I'm watching young girls, laughing to myself, completely on my own.
I did the wise thing. I left.
This is what they all reminded me of........................
